Data carriers, such as driving licenses, identity cards, membership cards, badges or passes, passports, discount cards, banking cards, money cards, multi-application cards, other security documents and papers of value; and security documents such as bank notes are widely used. Because of the value and importance associated with each of these data carriers, they are often the subject of unauthorized copying and alterations, and forgeries.
It exists a very wide variety of security features for protecting the data carrier. Often, however, it is the case that the forger does not forge a complete data carrier but modifies or replaces the personalized data (photograph, date of birth, signature, name, etc.) on an e.g. stolen data carrier. The protection of these personalized data is therefore very important.
To prevent such activities from being carried out on these data carriers, different types of visual and touchable security features have been added to data carriers.
One of these security features is a personalized metalized see-through portion through the body of a data carrier. The known method of making a data carrier with a metalized see-through window involves producing a multilayer data carrier comprising a first layer which is made of plastic and has an upper face on which an opaque layer partially covering said upper face, for example a metal layer, is arranged. The data carrier has a second layer made of plastic which is disposed on the first layer and is transparent at least in a sub-region of the metal layer. To write the personalization data, the metal layer is partially ablated by a laser. This personalized metalized see-through portion allows to better protect the data carrier against unauthorized modifications.
Although such a data carrier is, to a certain extent, protected against copying, forgery and manipulation, it can nevertheless still be manipulated. Indeed, the personalized metalized see-through window can be removed and replaced with something else or insert it into another data carrier. Fakes security feature imitating some or even all of the security elements of the metalized see-through window can be made. Another issue is that the personalized data can be graphically altered.
It is therefore desirable to produce data carriers with elevated protection against forgery and manipulation using a method that is simple and cost effective.
Considering the above, a problem intended to be solved by the invention is to provide a data carrier comprising an opaque layer into its body and embossing pattern on its surface, the embossing pattern overlapping at least partially said opaque layer. During personalization phase, the markings on the opaque layer by laser through the data carrier allows to write opaque security markings such as personalization data. During the personalization phase, the embossing pattern is copied into the opaque layer so that to create opaque security markings resulting to an appearance of an opaque embossing pattern. Said opaque security markings allow to improve the security of the opaque security markings. Said defined opaque security markings with an appearance of an opaque embossing pattern on its surface is even more difficult to reproduce by forger, even more difficult to remove, replace or exchange and easy to check.